1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an opening and closing apparatus of a vehicle. This apparatus is preferred, for example, as an opening and closing apparatus for a door in a rear portion of a vehicle, which is divided into an upper door and a lower door opened upward and downward in a separated manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a vehicle such as an RV (recreational vehicle), an opening portion of a rear door is rendered large so that large luggage can be loaded, and the rear door is itself large. In opening the rear door, therefore, a wide space is required behind the vehicle in order to ensure an opening and closing range. To avoid such a space problem, a rear portion of a vehicle 101 is divided into an upper door 102 and a lower door 103 which are opened upward and downward in a separated manner, as shown in FIG. 10A. Since the upper door 102 and the lower door 103 are opened upward and downward in a separated manner, the opening and closing range of the upper door 102 and the lower door 103 can be rendered narrow, thus decreasing a necessary space behind the vehicle.
Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 1992-114814 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1994-5488 are examples of the related art.
In the lower door 103 of the rear door of the divided type, structures as shown in FIGS. 10B and 10C are usually conceivable as mounting structures for hinges which support the lower door 103 pivotably. In the mounting structure of FIG. 10B, for example, an arm 106 of a hinge 105 is attached to the lower end side of a lower door 103A put in a closed state, and a base 107 supporting the arm 106 pivotably is mounted on a vehicle body 101. In other words, the arm 106 is mounted on the front surface side (the surface facing the vehicle body 101) of a lower door 103B placed in an open state. In the mounting structure of FIG. 10C, on the other hand, an arm 106 of a hinge 105 is mounted on the front surface side (the surface facing the vehicle body 101) of a lower door 103A placed in a closed state. In other words, the arm 106 is mounted on the upper surface side of a lower door 103B placed in an open state.
In each of the above-mentioned hinge mounting structures, a large clearance S is required between the upper end of a bumper 104 and the lower end of the lower door 103A placed in the closed state, in order to secure a space for the lower door 103B placed in the open state. This lowers the degree of freedom of a design for this portion, and results in poor appearance. Moreover, the position of mounting of the arm 106 is remote from the position of center of gravity G of the lower door 103 in a side view, thus requiring a high mounting strength for the portion where the arm 106 is mounted.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11A, if a rear portion of a vehicle 101 is divided into an upper door 102 and a lower door 103 which are opened upward and downward in a separated manner, a wire 111 is connected to one end of the lower door 103. In the open state, only the wire 111 keeps the open state and supports the lower door 103. If luggage 112 is loaded and unloaded with the use of such a structure, the luggage 112 may be temporarily placed on the lower door 103 only. In this case, under an unexpectedly heavy load, the wire 111 may be detached from the vehicle body, or may be disconnected from the lower door, or may be broken, as shown in FIG. 11B. As a result, the lower door may fall off, or the luggage 112 may be dropped, injuring an operator.
The present invention has been accomplished in light of the above-described problems with the earlier technologies. It is an object of the invention to provide an opening and closing apparatus of a vehicle, which does no harm to appearance or loading and unloading work for luggage while ensuring the strength and load bearing properties of a mounting portion.